Julie Klassen A Castaway in Cornwall

...from the publisher...

Set adrift on the tides of fate by the deaths of her parents and left wanting answers, Laura Callaway now lives with her uncle and his disapproving wife in North Cornwall. There she feels like a castaway, always viewed as an outsider even as she yearns to belong.

While wreckers search for valuables along the windswept Cornwall coast--known for its many shipwrecks but few survivors--Laura searches for clues to the lives lost so she can write letters to next of kin and return keepsakes to rightful owners. When a man is washed ashore after a wreck, Laura acts quickly to protect him from a local smuggler determined to destroy him.

 As Laura and a neighbor care for the survivor, they discover he has curious wounds and, although he speaks in careful, educated English, his accent seems odd. Other clues wash ashore, and Laura soon realizes he is not who he seems to be. Despite the evidence against him, the mysterious man might provide her only chance to discover the truth about her parents' fate. With danger pursuing them from every side, and an unexpected attraction growing between them, will Laura ever find the answers she seeks?

...my thoughts... 

 A Castaway in Cornwall is an intriguing story for the glimpse it gives us into another way of life in Cornwall.  The taking of plunder was so common, the residents of that coastline never considered the loss shipwrecked items were to the rightful owners.  A lost bible, a crate of rum, all for the taking and who would be the wiser.  It appeared to be a sport that gathered many to the shoreline in the hopes of finding something worthwhile.

For Laura, it was an altogether different thing.  She searched for life, and would be a healer for anyone who needed care.  I admired her spirit.  Wise beyond her years, she had an innate ability to see what others could not see.  She did discover treasures on the shore, but her treasure trove was stored until such time she could restore those treasured items to those rightful owners.  The arrival of the stranger, handsome and mysterious set the stage for a poignant love story that sets Laura onto a path that she was destined to take. 

The setting of this story is colorful and well described.  I would love to visit this area and the vast cliffs and stormy seas.  One could almost feel the storms and see the raging sea.  This is a book for those who enjoy historical fiction and a bit of adventure!